The Power of Short Stories, with Pamela Gwyn Kripke

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Hey there, Writer—welcome back to The Resilient Writers Radio Show!

In this episode, we’re diving into the world of short fiction with the wonderful Pamela Gwyn Kripke. If you’ve ever been curious about writing short stories, how to build a collection, or what publishing with a small press actually looks like—this conversation is for you.

Pamela is an award-winning writer with bylines in The New York Times, Elle, Seventeen, Newsweek and more. Her debut novel At The Seams was published by Open Books in 2023 and her brand-new short story collection And Then You Apply Ice is also out now. (Yes, you can find links to both in the show notes!)

She joined me to chat about how she moved from journalism and essays into short fiction—something she only began exploring about four years ago. She found that many of her essays had a narrative quality to them, and that natural storytelling instinct drew her into writing fiction. She leaned into the short form during the pandemic and quickly found a rhythm that worked for her. 

Pamela shares how she pulled together her stories by focusing on recurring themes—especially around the idea of transgression—and how some of the characters appear across stories at different points in their lives.

We also talked about her decision to publish with a small press and what that process actually looked like. (Spoiler: she sent queries to about 25 publishers!) Her approach was smart and strategic—targeting presses that aligned with her voice and genre. 

Pamela also pitched both her novel and story collection at the same time and found a supportive home with Open Books. She opens up about the differences between traditional publishing and her long-time experience freelancing for magazines, and the pros and cons of working with a smaller press—including the realities of doing your own book publicity.

You’ll love Pamela’s grounded and generous wisdom about the writing life. She talks about her daily writing routine (dog walks included!), how she transitions between essays, journalism, and fiction, and how being a working writer has taught her not to wait for the muse—but to get in the chair and do the work.

And of course, I had to ask her what it means to be a resilient writer. Her answer was beautiful—it's about maintaining emotional equilibrium and trusting that you’ve done your best, no matter the outcome.

This episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and encouragement—especially if you’re navigating the ups and downs of publishing or wondering where short stories might fit into your own creative path.